ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The easiest and most straightforward way to measure a hurricane's strength is to use the Saffir-Simpson scale. Divided into five categories, the scale designates each hurricane ...

Georgia Tech expert Zachary Handlos joins a growing conversation about whether the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale adequately reflects the full range of hurricane hazards in a changing climate.

For the last few years, I have opined about the inadequacy of the Saffir — Simpson scale for conveying the full impacts of hurricanes. Harvey (2017), Milton (2024) and Helene (2024) are examples of ...

Hurricane Melissa is approaching Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with 180 mph winds. A recent study suggests global warming is fueling more intense and rapidly strengthening hurricanes. Scientists have ...

When you hear terms like Category 1, Category 3 or even the rare Category 5 mentioned regarding hurricanes, what is being discussed is the classification system for hurricanes based on their winds.

Hurricane Melissa has exploded into a massive Category 5 storm, undergoing an impressive “extreme rapid intensification” this late in the Atlantic hurricane season with life-threatening winds of over ...

Record-breaking Hurricane Melissa has renewed calls to amend the scale used to classify the strength of a hurricane and estimate the potential damage it could inflict when it makes landfall. Some ...

When Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica on October 28, it showed just how devastatingly powerful a Category 5 hurricane can be—and then some. It will be weeks before experts can truly assess just ...

As climate change continues to reshape the intensity and behavior of hurricanes, meteorologists and researchers are examining whether the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a decades-old ...